Artwork Page for Leaf Excised from an Antiphonary: Initial Q with Saints Peter and Paul

Details / Information for Leaf Excised from an Antiphonary: Initial Q with Saints Peter and Paul

Leaf Excised from an Antiphonary: Initial Q with Saints Peter and Paul

c. 1325
Measurements
Each leaf: 32.3 x 21.9 cm (12 11/16 x 8 5/8 in.)
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
?

Did You Know?

This leaf comes from a manuscript once owned by the famous Victorian art critic John Ruskin (1819–1900), who removed some of its leaves to give away as gifts.

Description

The sheet belonged to an antiphonary, a large liturgical book used by the choir for chanting. It contains all the music and texts needed for daily services in the church. In South Flanders, where this manuscript originates, the Confrérie des Charitables de Saint-Éloi has been active since 1188, when a plague wave raged in the region. This brotherhood was in charge of giving bread to the poor, caring for the sick, consoling the dying, burying the dead, and giving them a burial.
A vertically oriented tempera painting on vellum depicts a manuscript page with red musical staves and black script. On the left, a gold-ground initial frames two light-skinned saints holding keys and a sword. Blue and gold vines with multicolored leaves border the left and bottom edges. Along the lower border, two scenes show kneeling figures in blue and red robes. A small gray bird perches on a branch at the bottom right.

Leaf Excised from an Antiphonary: Initial Q with Saints Peter and Paul

c. 1325

South Flanders

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork